Electric furnace.



No..ss1,s1s. v PATENTBD MAR. 1o, 190s.

c. E. WILSON.` BLBGTRIC PURNAGB.

APPLICATION FILED BEPT.15,1908.

`s annie-sum1: 1.

G. E. WILSON. ELECTRIC PURNAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 15. 1906.

' PATBNTED MAR. 1o, 1908.

3 SHEETS-BHBET 2:

` canarias E. W1LsoN,or nanars, weer VIRGINIA.

, ELECTRIC FURNAGFL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Application maseptember 15,19oc. serialnaaaavso.

,To all Iwhom ttf/nay conceive: i'

Bei known that I, CHARLES E. WILSON, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Ferl ris, inthe county Fayette and vState of West Virginia, have lnvented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Furnaces, of which the following is a s ecification.

My object is `to provi e an electric oresmelting furnace of an improved construction adapting it for the introduction of large units of electric energy, say ten or more thousand. horseower, and so arranged that electrodes may e renewed without disturbing the operation of the furnace.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to provide a melting-chamber in the iorrn of a Crucible, having separate tap-holes for slag and metal, at different elevations. The crucible is mounted upon a cast-iron base oi Water-jacketed construction and has a surrounding Wall of fire-clay, or the like. In the base of the crucible,resting in intimate contact with the base-plate, is a la er or block of suitable carbonaceous materia forming one electrode-terminal of the source of electric-current su iply. The other terminal consists ofa plurality of independently controlled. and independently ad'ustable electrodes, each referably in 'the orm of a battery of penci s of carbonaceous material, and each suspended. from an independent conductor-head of improved construction. The pencils are each formed in sections, the sections having means at their ends for attachment to the sustainin head, and to each other, whereby as one attery of pencils becomes shortened to a degree requiring the insertion ofv new sections, the current leadin to that battery or electrode may be shut o Without disturbing the current leading to the other battery or batteriesifthere are more than two, while the pencil renewals are taking place. The electrodes are preferably so constructed that when the current through one of them. isshut off, the other' or others will carry the entire load for a time suiiicient to permit renewaly to be made of the pencils of the electrode from which the current is shut oir. Owing to this arrangement the furnace may be caused to operate continu- 231'11 the under sidesof the heads.

ously, or practically so, and nearly ali the time at full capacity.

, Referring to the drawingsr-Figure l is at broken, longitudinal section on irregular line 1-1 in Fig. 2, partly in elevation and partly diagrammatic, illustrating the crucible and electrodes as I prefer to provide them; Fig.

2, a section taken onA line 2 in Fig. l; Fig. 3, a still further enlarged, broken section taken on line 3, in Fig; 1; and Fig. 4, a broken, plan section of a base-plate, the section being taken on line 4 in Fig. 2.

The crucible is formed with side-Walls, 5, and yend-walls, 6, both of refractory material and restingr at their lower ends upon a preferably cast-ironbase-plate, 7. The baseplate may be in sections, each section being formed, for example, as indicatecl most' plainly in Fig. 4, wherein it is shown provided with a convoluted passage, 8, for Wa- Ater to prevent its overheating. The bottom of the Crucible is formed of a block or mass, 9, of suitable carbonaceous material, constituting one electrode and resting at its lower surface in'intimate contact with the base-plate, 7. On each sectionof the baseplate are suitable attaching terminals, 1G, for electric current lead-Wires. In one side,

5, close to the base line is a tap openin 11,

and in the opposite wall, 5, at a higher devation, is a tap opening, 12. 13, 14 are independent heads suspended fromcables, 15, running over pulleys, 16, and carrying counter-weights, 17. Each head is constructed with cored passages, 18, 19, properly disposed and suitabiy connected with Water supplying means, whereby the heads are water-jacketed to prevent their being overheated. .Each head has lead-wire connections, 20, by which it is independently connected with a source of electric current supply. In the shoulder portions, 21,-of the 'cada at opposite sides, are openings, 22, terminating in downwardly-'Haring sockets, Fitting the said. flaring sockets are removable, tiaring'bushings, 24, internally threaded and provided in their upper ends .with openings,

top of the Crucible is a l-ing-plate, 32, carrying ore-feed funnels, 33,

pencil, 28, is provided on its upper end with a threaded projection, 29, adapted to screw into a bushing, 24.

In the construction shown there are two rows of socketed bushings on each head, 13,v 14, whereby each is adapted to carr 18 car-y bon pencils, all of which are fastene in placeY by screwing them at their projections, 29, into the removable bushings, 24, then passing the bushings into sockets, 23, and fastening them in place b driving keys, 37, through the slots, 27, Whic of the shoulders, 21. tions of comparatively section having a threaded extension, 29, at its upper end and a tapering threaded socket, 30, at its lower end to recelve the rojection, 29, of the next lower section. xtending through the upper parts of the pencil sections are small openings, 31. Restin on the Water-jackete covere pencils are in secin suitable locations, and having 34, throu h it for the passage of the carbon encils. he function of the plate, 32, is to crm a heat-confining cover for the crucibie. In operation the furnace is initially started by lowering the suspended electrodes into contact with the stationar electrode to establish the current and then raisin slightly to produce arcs. Each haag forms a common distributer for the current to all the pencils it carries, and any ore mixture placed on the stationary electrode may form a resistant material which, as is well known, is soon raised to a temperature producinlg the nely openings,

desired smeltinoF heat. More or less divided ore to he treated, with any iluxing and carbonaceous material for a suitably mixed charge, is fed in desired quanti into the crucible at the funnels, 33. Under the generated heat the constituentsof the ore are melted and the roper reactions eiected. The reduced metall separates by gravity from the lighter slag-making constituents and as the metal rises -the upper electrodes are raised to prevent contact therewith and maintain the proper heat-generating resiste ancef When the metal reaches the height,

or nearly the height of the ta -o ,'12, the plug may be withdrawn roxiie l'llirilag hole to tap off the slag. The plug at the taphole, 11, may then be withdrawn to tap off the metal. As the metal descends the u per electrode may be caused so that there need be no material cessation at any time of the smelting operation.

The'pencils forming the members of each nppere ectrode naturally wear away at their lower ends, re uiring more or less frequent lengthening, t e ,lengthening being performed by the insertionof new upper ncil sections. When one of the electr es or are ust above the plane;

short length, each` theml to descend wit it,-

batteries of pencils, therefore, becomes too short, the current leading thereto maybe cut off while the other battery continues 1n op- 'eration. To insert new sections, sustaini pins are passed through theo the then u per sections, whlc 1 connected fiom the head by knocking out the keys, 37', from the slots, 27. The head is then raisedand the upper pencil' sections rest suspended upon the pins which engage the sides of the openings, 34, and sustain t e pencils with the socket' pieces and studs, or pins, 22. The socket pieces, 24, are'then unscrewedfrom -the sections with which they have been in engagement andy new sections or lengths are screwed at their sockets, 30, upon the u per ends,29, of the suspended sections. he replacing sections are then screwed into the socket pieces, 24, and all fastened into the head in` the manner explained. While these carbon'renewals are taking place in one battery, the other battery.continuesthe smelting operation, being capable, as aforesaid, of carrying the entire current, or load, for a limited time.

If desired the cables', 15, may be operatively connected With suitable electric connings 31 o are then distroller devices, 35, which, governed by the' resistance of the currents throu h the furnace, will automatically raise and lower the upper electrodesto maintain the desired heat-generating resistance.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is',

1. In an electric furnace, the combination of a melting chamber, an electrode in the base of the chamber forming a lower terminal of the electric-current supply, a plurality of suspended and independcntly-ad justable heads above the said chamber independently connected with said supply, and a suspended electrode removably mounted in eac of the said heads, the suspended electrodes forming to ether an upper terminal, in the chamber, o the electric-current supply, whereby the electrode at one head ma f e renewed while the current passes throng 1 the other suspended electrode, for .the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric furnace, the combination of a melt' chamber, an electrode in the base of thdleamber forming a lower terminal of the electric-current supply, a lurality of suspended and independently-a 'ustable heads, vabove the said chamber', `independently connected with said supply, and a battery of pencils removably mounted in each of theV said heads and forming to 4ether an upper terminal, in the chamber, o the elec` tric-current supply, whereby pencil renewals may be made at one sus nded electrode while the current passes t ough .the other suspended electrode, for the purpose set forth'.

3. In an electric fr rnace, the combination pencils, each pencil comprising a plurality of 10 of a n1elting-charnber, a lower electrode in readily applied sections joined together at the chamber, a pen-:il holding head inde-y their ends and provided, near their upper pendentlj,r connected with the source of curends, With perforations to receive sustaining 5a lrent-supply, a pluralty of pencils for said j pins, for the purpose set forth.

head inde endently mounted therein at their CHARLES E. WILSON. upper en( s and forming an upper electrode, In the presence ofand a cover for the melting-chamber having H. M. GIBBES,

openings through it for the passage of the T. R. RAGLAND. 

